ENMU-Ruidoso with the Ruidoso Foundation and Friends of Smokey-Capitan each received several thousand dollars for environmental projects from the PNM Resources Foundation this week.

The foundation recently awarded $300,000 in grants to non-profits, including eight in southern New Mexico that included the two local entities. The local projects selected for funding include a $10,000 grant for a rainwater capture system for the ENMU-Ruidoso campus and $8,900 for new park development, native plant landscaping and a rainwater capture system in Ruidoso Downs through the Friends of Smokey award.

Local community volunteer Jim Miller helped to write the grant proposal for Friends of Smokey-Capitan.

“We’ll be using the grant money to landscape the new Veterans Service Center in the Downs,” Miller said. “We’ll also be trying to collect the rainwater runoff on two of the buildings at the location to water the landscape material we plant so we’ll be purchasing a rainwater tank. American Legion Post 79 will be doing part of the work, and Keep Ruidoso Downs Beautiful will be doing part of it. We’ll buy our plants locally and also be building three shelters and a picnic table.”

Miller said they hope to have the project completed by the spring of 2014.

The foundation selected 32 projects that promote environmental stewardship and/or community improvements of public spaces in celebration of its 30th anniversary. Foundation expectations are that local residents will be able to enjoy the benefits of these projects by the start of 2014.

“These projects will have a lasting positive impact in local communities doing activities that restore and diversify habitats, create community gardens, and build walking trails. These projects are important to PNM and to the local communities across our state,” said Diane Harrison Ogawa, executive director of the PNM Resources Foundation. “We are pleased to build on PNM’s tradition of supporting our communities.”

Alamogordo also got a piece of the pie with a $10,000 grant awarded to New Mexico State University-Alamagordo STEM Outreach to build a native plant demonstration garden as well as landscaping improvements and a water conservation project for the Alamogordo Public Library.

Reporter Kelly Brooks can be reached at 575-257-4001 ext. 4114.

GRAPEVINE – My most recent adventure happened in Grapevine, near Dallas, and included a daylong journey through different things that the town of Grapevine has to offer.

I was initially searching for things that people don’t hear about often so I could write about them and shine some light on the smaller places to visit among the gigantic area that is Dallas-Fort Worth, which includes Grapevine somewhere in between.

I stopped at a few places and pretty much stumbled onto the Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park while driving around and looking for another destination.

I’m really happy I stopped to check it out, because it ended up being completely worth it.

I’m usually on the lookout for adventurous things to do around Texas, with a museum highlighted here and there, but the few times I’ve traveled to gardens or arboretums for the Traveling Soldier story, I’ve always been pleased with the outcome.

Giant gardens meant for people to come and visit maybe wouldn’t seem like the thing to put in a place as hot as Texas, especially Central Texas, but this state makes a point to really highlight the foliage that thrives in hot environments, and I’ve discovered that there are a lot of colorful flowers that can stand the heat – it isn’t just cacti and yucca plants that make up a Texas garden in the summer.

The Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park was built in phases that started with a plan in 1999.

After a Grapevine city councilmember and his wife visited a botanical garden in Wichita, Kansas, the couple thought the concept of a botanical garden would be a great addition to the city of Grapevine.

They found the centralized location that is Heritage Park and began the first phase of the garden, which included the great lawn, a fountain, ponds and natural beauty.

The master plan for the gardens was actually designed by the same landscape architect who designed the gigantic Fort Worth Botanical Garden, and by July of 2000 phase one was complete.

Phase two started immediately with the garden court, pond, gazebo, stage, trails and landscaping, beginning with the installation of the drainage system. The remaining construction was completed in April 2001, and the grand opening ceremony for the gardens was held Aug. 23, 2001.

Since the grand opening, things have been added to the gardens, such as the butterfly garden and waterfalls, which have since been developed.

The botanical garden in Grapevine is all outdoors, but really nice to visit even during hot days because it is mostly shaded by giant oak trees, creating a canopy over most of the land.

There are bridges leading over streams in the gardens, too.

While I was there, a couple was taking professional engagement photos throughout the gardens, and there was also a family taking photos together.

I learned that photographers around Grapevine choose the botanical gardens often for their photo shoots, for almost any occasion, in any season.

The flowers change in the gardens seasonally, so there is always something in-bloom to visit.

My favorite part of the gardens was, of course, the butterfly garden. I actually learned more about butterflies at the Grapevine gardens than I have at any other gardens I’ve visited.

The staff at the Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park makes it clear that if someone wants to raise butterflies in their garden, they must be willing to work with nature and not rely on certain pesticides. Also, people with a butterfly garden should not expect to have a perfect garden, because the butterfly larvae will feed on the plants, leaving them “less-than-attractive,” staff members told visitors.

I’ve never been very good at growing anything besides the lima bean experiment everyone has to go through in first grade, but I think I could handle a butterfly garden after listening to how easy it can be, with just a little research.

Apparently all I’d have to do is grow one of the many plants that butterflies feed on (which are all easy to grow, according to staff), attract butterflies with hanging nectar stations, and voila – butterflies everywhere.

And I wouldn’t have to worry too much about keeping the plants looking nice, because the caterpillars leave them somewhat ravaged anyway as they grow and feed.

I could blame my bad-looking plants on the butterflies. Perfect.

But, while the plants in the butterfly garden might have been a little sketchy-looking, it’s hardly noticable with all the colorful butterflies fluttering around. I’d say that’s a great trade of beauty.

The butterfly garden plants were absolutely the only “ravaged” plants in the entire garden, though. Designated in its own spot, the butterfly garden is filled with butterfly-specific lures to keep them from laying eggs in other areas of the garden, so the rest of the grounds are lush.

Another area of the gardens was dedicated to perennial plants – a plants that lives for more than two years.

I learned that some perennials die into the ground during the winter, while others keep their leaves all winter long. Also, perinnials don’t live forever, and aren’t invincible as some may not even survive winter in certain areas.

In contrast with perinnials, annual plants and flowers complete their lifecycles in one season – they go from seed to seed during their lifecycles. Sunflowers and corn are good examples of annual plants.

The Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park have so much information about plants that one walkthrough of the grounds is a lesson in growing just about anything.

Staff members are happy to talk to visitors, and there are mailboxes set up around the grounds with detailed info sheets on everything from butterflies to compost.

Events can also be held in the gardens; the grounds include amphitheater seating and a performance stage.

Altogether, the Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park include a loop walk, benches all over for seating, annual color planting areas, spacious green lawns, a garden court, a performance stage, amphitheater seating, a central fountain, a giant gazebo, perennial beds, more than 250 different plant species, ponds and waterfalls, streams, koi fish, huge trees providing nice canopy shading and coverage, a playground for kids, picnic tables spread throughout and an 8,500-gallon water garden.

The koi pond has a lot of fish in it, and they are surprisingly big. Staff members encourage visitors to feed the koi with the food provided at the gardens, but not with anything brought in from outside the gardens.

The Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park are open 365 days a year, from dawn to dusk, and admission is free to the public.

She has performed this year at the Museum of Modern Art, and her work has been exhibited at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in England. She has also recorded an album of computer music, “Formations,” which, while not starring any begonias, was “dedicated to the plants.”

So it is no surprise to find her living in a miniature botanical garden of her own creation, with fruit trees, Peruvian cactuses and a pond with a turtle named Ting. A vintage Airstream trailer parked beside a fountain is her bedroom. As she told a visitor one afternoon last month, sleeping there “gives you this feeling of perpetually being in your made-up little world.”

That sense of escape is probably necessary, considering where she has constructed her garden: in the garage and backyard of her mother’s 1930s Spanish duplex here. From the street one sees only an ordinary wooden gate, but beyond lies an oasis.

Seven years ago, after living in London, Montreal and the South of France, Mileece returned to Los Angeles, where she had lived with her American mother after her parents’ divorce (her father is a British entrepreneur in alternative energy).

While her teenage impression of the city was unfavorable (“Going to junior high in L.A. was a terrifying experience; people seemed to thrive on nothing,” she said), as an artist and a budding gardener she appreciated the year-round sun and the cultural scene.

At first, Mileece and her husband, Nathaniel Petre, lived in her mother’s house and created a makeshift work space in the garage. But the concrete surrounding it was “baking hot,” she said.

“I thought, I really need some trees to shelter it,” she said. “It’s a completely dead environment and a waste of space and draining on the psyche and unecological.”

They began by turning the garage into a three-room music studio and lounge. Furniture and appliances were sourced from friends or Craigslist. (The vintage propane stove, for example, was bought from a member of Iron Maiden who was living in a bungalow in Culver City.)

After consulting a feng shui expert, Mileece turned her attention to the landscaping. “The feng shui lady said, ‘You need a pond,’ and I thought, ‘I can make a water feature,’ ” she said. “And then I got rad into doing the stonework.”

About a year ago, her husband left for England to get his Ph.D. Mileece carried on, hauling in tiles she bought at Habitat for Humanity, wood pallets obtained from a company that delivered mobile homes and 90-pound bags of cement, whose weight nearly equaled her own.

Her mother was skeptical.

“She was like: ‘What are you going to do? It will be a disaster,’ ” said Mileece, acknowledging that “there’s a level of insanity that goes into a project like this.”

Her mother, Marsha Levine, who helps companies place products in films, said her concern was for her daughter’s safety.

“She’s a waif,” Ms. Levine said. “And yet you see her using these incredible huge machines to saw and lift things. I would think, ‘How does she do that?’ ”

In the end, the space came together fine. With its mishmash of recycled materials, used furniture, do-it-yourself tilework and enveloping canopy of plants, it has a certain California bohemian charm. Or, as Mileece put it, “It’s all higgledy-piggledy.”

The Airstream was the final touch, bought for $2,000 from a couple near San Luis Obispo, Calif., and shimmied into the backyard. “Of course, most Airstreams are really expensive because they’ve already been redone,” Mileece said. “This one had every reason to be $2,000. It had dead mice in it, and the toilet was just disgusting. It took about a year and a half to rehab it.”

While mother and daughter remain attached at the garage, the structure that links and separates them, they observe a respectful distance.

“This is a private space,” Mileece said. “Otherwise, I would go crazy and so would my mom.”

Ms. Levine added: “When Mileece is away, I’ll sit and interact with the turtle. Otherwise I hang in my own space, which is very peaceful.”

Though Mileece is often traveling, either for her music or her plant installations, when she is here she enjoys an almost Edenic domestic life. Especially when a fruit tree is in bloom.

“Back there,” she said, motioning to her outdoor shower, “there’s a nectarine tree. So I can take a shower and eat a nectarine straight off the tree.”

She laughed at the notion. “So rad.”

• 

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(PRWEB UK) 29 August 2013

Hallstone is extremely pleased to announce that they are launching a range of new products to help gardeners with their Autumn tasks. Although many people will consider Spring and Summer to be the pivotal seasons for gardening, there is a lot of work that gardeners can carry out in Autumn. Gardening is a year round activity for many gardeners, and there are many products that can help to make life easier for those that want to take care of their garden.

Hallstone still have a wide range of summer gardening products on offer, but any client that is looking ahead will find that there is plenty on offer of interest. One of the essential gardening products, for this time of year, is bark mulch. Hallstone has a wide range of bark mulch options for gardeners. This mulch is available in different sizes and prices so no matter what size or shape of the garden is being looked after, there will be a bark mulch product that is suitable. This product provides significant benefit to soil and plants. This is down to the fact that mulching can significantly reduce evaporation in the soil, it can help to moderate fluctuations in soil temperature, and it can protect shallow root plants from frost. With the temperature expected to take a dip in coming months, adding bark mulch to the garden should help to keep plants in excellent condition.

Another area where Hallstone are dedicated to impacting on gardens in Autumn is with respect to topsoil. Topsoil provides the nutrients and minerals that plants and vegetables need to develop, and it should be an essential purchase for the majority of gardeners. Hallstone is pleased to announce that they have a variety of cheap topsoil products that will provide all gardeners with the opportunity to afford the best products for their garden.

All year round, Hallstone is proud to offer an organic and environmentally friendly line of gardening products and solutions. The company is dedicated to ensuring that gardeners can be as green as their gardens. Not all gardeners spend a lot of time in their garden during the Autumn and Winter, but there always tasks to carry out. Any gardener that plans to be active in the Autumn will find that Hallstone provide an affordable and effective range of gardening and landscaping products.

About Hallstone:

Hallstone aims to provide UK gardeners with a wide range of landscaping and gardening products. These products are intended to provide a high level of value for money and which have been ethically sourced or recycled. The company believes that it is possible to get quality garden products for an affordable fee, which remains at the heart of the service that they offer to clients across the country.

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More signs with the slogan “Cape Says Yes” soon will be seen throughout Cape Girardeau as the fall will bring completion of several projects paid for with city revenue generated by Isle Casino Cape Girardeau.

City manager Scott Meyer said a few projects have come in under budget so far while several others have exceeded the planned budget, but overall, the projects together are under budget.

In November 2010, Cape Girardeau voters approved allowing a casino, prompting the building of Isle on North Main Street, and now the money is flowing into the city’s coffers for use on improvement projects. The city council approved a two-part list of projects in the winter and spring this year that are being funded with a portion of the more than $2 million generated by the casino in the first eight months of its operation. The revenue comes from 10 percent of the total state taxes paid by the casino and half of admission fees for patrons.

About $1.6 million is budgeted for 17 projects that are now completed, in progress or in planning stages. The list of projects was created by city employees by prioritizing needs based on input from the public, city departments and related committees. The projects also were selected with public perception in mind, meaning city officials wanted the projects to be very visible to help the public’s opinion of the relationship between the casino and community improvements.

Projects that now are completed include the installation of new playground equipment at the Shawnee Park Sports Complex, the demolition of the former Convention and Visitors Bureau at the corner of Main Street and Broadway, new fencing for ball fields at Arena Park and lighting improvements along Hopper Road. The majority of the projects on the list are in progress, including lighting improvements on Main Street, a space design study of the police station, a parking lot overlay at the River Heritage Museum, a dog park, landscaping at the Shawnee Park Sports Complex, construction of parking lots along Broadway, fitness equipment and scoreboards and bleachers for youth fields. In the planning stages are five new storm warning sirens, filling of a sidewalk gap on Kingsway Drive, Cape La Croix trail lighting and widening, improved and expanded community gardens, a roof replacement for the Fort D historical site and planting and landscaping for the city’s entrances.

Meyer, along with parks and recreation director Julia Thompson, detailed and estimated completion dates on each of the in progress and upcoming projects this week.

* Lighting that will be added from the intersection of Broadway to near the casino along Main Street has been ordered and installation should begin soon, Meyer said. The new lights will match the lights near the casino.

* Asphalt overlays for new public parking lots are nearly done along the Broadway corridor. The completion of the lots will mean 152 new parking spaces will have been added since 64 parking spaces on the north side of Broadway from Pacific to Water streets were eliminated when the corridor improvement project was finished last year. Parking space on the south side of the street also was reduced somewhat because of the design of the project, which features large rounded curbs containing decorative brick. The lots are located at the site of the former Convention and Visitors Bureau building, behind Broadway Prescription Shop and Last Call pub, in the 500 block of Broadway across from Discovery Playhouse and at the River Heritage Museum on Independence Street.

* A one-acre dog park to be added to the southwest side of Kiwanis Park should open this fall, Thompson said. The dog park will be fenced with separate areas for large and small dogs and contain benches, separate water fountains for dogs and humans, dog waste containers and shade trees.

* New scoreboards and bleachers for the youth football fields at Shawnee Sports Complex are ordered and should be installed before the start of the Cape Youth Tackle Football League’s upcoming season.

* Outdoor fitness equipment to be added to the area of Arena Park along the recreational trail is out for bid, Thompson said. Depending on how the bids come in, a shaded “fit zone” along the trail will contain a four- to six-piece set of weight and exercise machines with weatherproof hydraulic systems.

* A project to light and widen the recreational trail between Arena Park and the Osage Centre is in the planning stages. The current trail is eight feet wide, and depending on the amount of asphalt and lighting the $100,000 allotted for the enhancements will cover, the project may be completed in several phases. A parking lot for the trail on East Rodney Drive also is planned to be paved. Thompson said work on the trail may begin in early spring depending on the weather.

* Landscaping to be added at the city’s entrance points that will contain trees and ornamental grass plantings also is in the planning stages. The city is using input from the Keep Cape Beautiful committee to develop the project’s specifications. Planting may begin in the spring.

* Improvements to three existing community gardens combined with a grant program to begin two or three new community gardens in the city also are being planned. Thompson said the city is seeking organizations interested in establishing and maintaining community gardens and would like input from the community on where to locate the new gardens as the project progresses. Volunteer groups maintain and distribute produce from community gardens.

* A space design study of the police station commissioned by the city should be finished this fall, according to Meyer, and should give city leaders a good idea of the space and facilities needs of the city’s police department. A report on the study will be presented to the city council before the end of the year.

* The addition of four storm warning sirens is in the planning stages. As of right now, sirens are set to be added in two downtown locations, near West Park Mall and near the intersection of Lexington Avenue and Kingshighway. Another siren near Cape Girardeau Central High School may also be included in the project.

* A new roof is still planned for Fort D, although some design issues have slowed the progress of the project at the historic site, Meyer said. The project will get underway once some problems with the structure’s walls are resolved.

* Filling a gap in sidewalks along Kingsway Drive also still is in the planning stages as the city is working with property owners on easements, Meyer said.

After the first of the year, city employees and the council will review its capital improvement project needs and match casino generated funds with those needs as city officials see fit, Meyer said. So far, the city has designated $1.2 million of the current year’s casino revenue go toward planning and installation of a utilities system on land the city plans to turn into a business park. The fiscal year for the city began July 1. City officials have also said spending of annual casino revenue may look different in future years than this year because the city may want to fund larger and costlier capital improvement projects.

The dedicated-funding policy for spending casino revenue states the city will use 40 percent to 60 percent of annual revenue for capital improvements and place the remainder in other funds designated for supporting one-time purchases that will result in savings in future operating costs, a legacy endowment fund and a fund for regional economic development and capital improvements in the downtown area.

eragan@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO

Plants and markets

• Tasty Tuesday, 10 a.m. to noon every Tuesday in the courtyard at New Port Richey Library, 5939 Main St. Local organic growers sell seasonal produce and plant-based goods. (727) 853-1265.

• Fresh Friday Night Market, 5 to 9 p.m. the first Friday of the month at Railroad Square in downtown New Port Richey (on Nebraska Avenue between Grand Boulevard and Adams Street). Vendors sell produce, plants and specialty foods such as fish, meat, cheese, baked goods, jelly and jam, honey, nuts, coffee and ethnic food. nprmainstreet.com.

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• Fresh Market at Wiregrass, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the first Saturday of each month at the Shops at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Drive, Wesley Chapel. Features produce, Florida-grown plants and locally made jams, salsas, seasonings and sauces, plus the works of local artists. tampabaymarkets.com.

• Suncoast Co-op offers fresh, locally grown, chemical-free produce. To place your order, register at suncoastcoop.locallygrown.net; orders may be picked up from noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 4131 Madison St., New Port Richey. The Suncoast Cafe, open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays at the ReStore, serves locally roasted organic coffee, homemade teas and baked goods.

• Hernando County Farmers Market runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays at 2450 U.S. Highway 19, Spring Hill. (352) 232-4241; hernandocountyfarmersmarket.webs.com.

• Spring Hill Garden Club’s Plant Nursery is open for plant sales from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Mondays at 1489 Parker Ave., off Spring Hill Drive (four-tenths of a mile from U.S. 19). Local plants for sale; people may also visit the nearby Nature Coast Botanical Gardens, the “best kept secret in Hernando County,” which is open daily from sunup to sundown. (352) 683-9933; naturecoastgardens.com.

Seminars

• Florida’s Fall Color, 10:30 a.m. today at Spring Hill Branch Library, 9220 Spring Hill Drive. Florida may not be well-known for its fall foliage, but there are many plants that can spice up a landscape with color during the fall and winter. Learn what plants to choose to liven up your yard. For information, call Sylvia Durell at (352) 540-6230.

• Landscaping with Florida Natives, 6:30 to 7:40 p.m. Tuesday at Hudson Library, 8012 Library Road. Discover how to reduce water usage and the time spent caring for a garden by incorporating natives into the landscape. Register online for the free seminar at pasco.ifas.ufl.edu. For information, call Pasco County Cooperative Extension at (352) 518-0156.

• Dooryard Citrus 101, 9 to 10:30 a.m. Sept. 14 at Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. University of Florida citrus expert Jamie Burrow discusses planting citrus, basic care, an introduction to pests and diseases and a brief history of the Florida citrus industry. Register online for the free seminar at pasco.ifas.ufl.edu. For information, call Pasco County Cooperative Extension at (352) 518-0156.

Pinnacle PSG is committed to improving the performance of frontline services at reduced costs while creating lasting and sustainable benefits and opportunities for the local communities in which we work. We have worked with residents, community groups, charities and our clients to develop a range of initiatives that protect the environment, create life opportunities, tackle important issues affecting communities such as unemployment and anti-social behaviour and deliver customer satisfaction at all levels.

Green spaces and the environment

• City meadows and biodiversity – In consultation with residents and environmental advisory groups, we have designed, constructed and helped to maintain a number of exciting green spaces on estates which have been used to attract a greater variety of flora and fauna into urban areas. For instance, in partnership with the local Brockley community, we developed a butterfly garden on the Foxborough Gardens estate, and an inner-city meadow on the Hallfield Estate in Westminster. Both sites have been used by local schools to educate their pupils on conservation and wildlife habitats, as well as brightening up drab areas of estates.

• Community gardens and play areas – We have developed numerous green havens and play zones for communities at no cost to residents or our clients. Examples include: a sensory garden in Canning Town, which transformed an ASB hotspot on an estate into a multi-sensory garden for residents, young and old; a new courtyard garden and pergola for residents within a sheltered housing scheme in Walsall; and a playground for children of the Ivybridge estate in Hounslow.

• Cycle cinema and educational workshops – In Westminster and Woking we have held over 30 cycle cinema events whereby films are shown in public spaces on estates and powered by bicycles. These events have drawn huge crowds and have been replicated across many estates, drawing residents’ attention to the benefits of ‘green’ and renewable energy as well as promoting cycling as a sport and sustainable form of transport.

Health and wellbeing

• Lambeth cricket initiative – We sponsor Surrey County Cricket Club and support the club’s efforts to grow the game of cricket in inner London with 495 local children attending cricket events last year. We support the development of the game through the Pinnacle Project, ‘Reach Your Pinnacle’ scholarship and the Howzat Project, a partnership with local schools to get children interested in sport, fitness and wellbeing.

• School football kits – We are keen to support clubs that encourage young people into sport and have sponsored the kits of three football clubs in Lambeth, Slough and Stoke-on-Trent.

• Healthy eating – We have used our gardening and landscaping knowledge to create zones within estates that inspire residents, local schools children and nurseries to take an active interest in healthy eating. For instance, in Brockley, and in partnership with the local TRAs, we have created an orchard and kitchen garden for local residents. In Lambeth, Hounslow, Westminster and many other areas of the UK we have created allotment beds for residents to provide them with space to grow their own herbs and vegetables. In Maida Vale, the vegetables grown in the allotment beds were used in a community Christmas dinner for elderly people.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) and community cohesion

• Community fun days – We hold numerous fun days for residents throughout the year, all of which have an intergenerational and multi-cultural focus to help to promote community cohesion. In all seven villages that we manage within Westminster, we have organised annual summer fun days which have included talent competitions, bouncy castles, face painting, international dance lessons and crafts – these events, on average, attract over 200 people. In Woking we created a city farm on the Sheerwater estate and community food festival which encouraged residents to bring along dishes which best represented their cultures. At CTR Triangle in Canning Town, Pinnacle PSG worked alongside the TMO to host a community picnic to help to integrate families from across the estate.

• Boxing clubs – Boxing clubs have been set up in partnership with local clubs to help to combat ASB among young people on the Mozart estate in Westminster and CTR Triangle in Canning Town. These clubs along with other initiatives such as a ‘design a poster’ campaign around anti-gang violence and youth clubs have had a marked impact on levels of ASB on the Mozart estate in particular, an area suffering the effects of gang violence.

• Art projects – We have used art to help residents express their views on various issues affecting their community. Westbourne Park in Westminster has invited residents to come together to create artwork that will decorate the hoardings around a major regeneration project in their neighbourhood — the art will depict their emotions and hopes for the project. In Woking, residents created pieces of abstract artwork to decorate a dull, concrete balcony in Sheerwater which runs along the area’s high street.

The residents hope that by taking pride in their buildings and local environments, it will deter incidents of ASB.

• Working with the community – Our teams regularly meet with local safer neighbourhood teams, neighbourhood wardens, TRAs and anti-crime groups to create strategies to combat ASB in communities • Resident engagement tenant and resident associations – We actively support the local TRAs in the areas in which we work, offering guidance on funding bids, resources for local projects and platforms on which to raise their concerns and ideas. We have also helped residents to establish TRAs in areas devoid of a resident voice. For instance, the number of TRAs has increased substantially since Pinnacle PSG began work in 2007. In Brockley we also hold regular residents steering group meetings where residents are able to raise issues around service standards and learn of new developments to contract specifications.

• Annual residents conference – Each year we hold two regional residents conferences which attract over 200 active residents from communities in which we work. The conferences aim to provide residents with a platform to share ideas and best practice and learn about key policies and tackling issues which may affect their communities from industry experts.

• Community initiatives cafe – For the past five years Pinnacle PSG has sponsored the Community Initiatives Cafe at the Charted Institute of Housing annual conference in Manchester; an area of the exhibition which showcases community projects and provides them a chance to win funding to further the initiatives. This year Pinnacle PSG donated £2,500 over the three days of the conference to a boxing scheme, an internet cafe and a community garden project.

• Work It – We have begun a pilot scheme in Westminster were we are offering long-term unemployed residents between the age of 18-25 six month’s work experience in housing management at Pinnacle PSG. The aim is to provide residents with work and life skills which will enable them to secure permanent positions in the near future. So far six residents are on the scheme.

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12TH ST — Tomatoes. Mint. Basil. Brussels sprouts. All can be found at Sonya Anselmo’s home on 12th Street. But instead of a typical garden out back, she has created one in front, turning her parkway, or the space between the street and the sidewalk, into something more than just a place for grass.

“My idea is that I want to rent it out for ‘free’ to my neighbors or anyone who wants to use it,” Anselmo said.

In a city where roughly 70 percent of residents rent and have limited access to green space, creating a garden in a parkway may be the next best thing for those looking to exercise their green thumbs. Officials said as long as the plants selected follow City Hall’s guidelines and do not obstruct access or pose a safety hazard, edible landscaping is allowed. 

Edible landscaping includes fruits, vegetables and herbs, said Garrett T. Wong, project support assistant for the Office of Sustainability and the Environment.

The trend of parkway gardens has also caught on in Los Angeles, where earlier this month residents were allowed to plant vegetables near the curb as city officials suspended a ban on the practice.

In Santa Monica, parkways are part of the public-right-of-way, and therefore must be regulated. The guidelines for parkway gardening were adopted by the City Council in 2011 as part of the Santa Monica Urban Forest Master Plan. The plan states that parkway landscaping must not create visual obstructions for pedestrians or drivers of vehicles. Plants within 5 feet of a driveway shall not exceed 2 feet in height when fully mature.

Moreover, parkway landscaping shall take into consideration personal safety, vehicle safety, efficient access for pedestrian and vehicles and resource conservation, the plan states.

For example, home owners are allowed to plant thyme, jade plants, yarrow, California lilac and creeping sage, but aren’t allowed to plant prickly pear cactus, ivy, agave century plants, aloe, roses or barrel cactus. Before adding or modifying trees in the parkway, folks need to contact the community forester. To create open visibility to the street for vehicles and pedestrians, plant material shall not exceed 34 inches in height at maturity, according to the guidelines.

Plant material shouldn’t be a danger to the public either. Plants with sharp, pointy protrusions such as needles or thorns are not allowed.

Anselmo installed a walkway in her parkway garden to allow for greater access after a city official stopped by to inspect it.

All landscaping is subject to the Santa Monica Municipal Code, which states “median strips and parkways planted with grass are intended to enhance the aesthetic qualities of neighborhoods and streets and to also provide limited opportunities for recreation including walking, jogging and respite.”

Anselmo said she started to re-vamp the parkway on her property because the grass ended up killing the carob tree that was already planted there.

Her parkway became so transformed that her neighbor tore out his grass as well and started his own garden. For the past eight years, Anselmo, who likes to garden organically, said she’s grown vegetables in the parkway garden from cuttings from neighbors.

Dana Morgan, who was the co-ordinator for the Organic Learning Garden at Santa Monica College, said she’s seen people plant all sorts of interesting things in their parkways. Her concern is the exhaust and lead that comes from cars that could extend to the parkways and affect plants that are low to the ground, like tomatoes.

“Say you’re growing tomatoes or vegetables right next to the parkway strip, it’s probably not the best thing,” said Morgan, who retired from teaching English at the college in June.

If parkway gardens aren’t appealing, residents can always opt for a plot in one of Santa Monica’s community gardens, however, those are in short supply. Currently 77 people are on a waiting list for the gardens, said Kathy LePrevost, community recreation manager for City Hall. Some residents have to wait as long as six years before a plot opens up.

There are 124 plots, including three workshop plots or test plots that a person on the waiting list gets for one year to see if they like gardening, LePrevost said.

The locations for the community gardens are at Main Street, between Strand Street and Hollister Avenue; Park Drive, between Santa Monica Boulevard and Broadway; and Euclid Park. Folks sign one-year license agreements with City Hall and do that on an annual basis, LePrevost said.

The most popular community garden is the one on Main Street, LeProvost said.

For some, like Anselmo, instead of waiting for a community garden plot, a parkway garden is the next best thing. In addition to homegrown produce, other benefits of the gardens include interacting with neighbors while working outside.

“Let’s get people outside and away from computer screens,” Morgan said. “Let’s work together and use those spaces.”

For more information on the Urban Forest Master Plan, visit www.smgov.net/portals/urbanforest.

 

ameera@smdp.com

By KAREN BERKOWITZ
kberkowitz@pioneerlocal.com

August 26, 2013 7:30PM

Moraine Township supervisor Anne Flanigan Bassi and landscape architect Nancy Lyons Hannick at Mooney Cemetery on Aug. 21. Drainage issues are being addressed at the historic Highland Park cemetery. | Brian O’Mahoney/For Sun-Times Media

Article Extras

Updated: August 27, 2013 2:36AM

Mooney Cemetery has been mired in a tangle of flooding and maintenance issues further complicated because its steward, Moraine Township, didn’t know for sure where everyone was buried at the 114-year-old cemetery.

With a recent mapping of graves and vaults, the township has been moving ahead to implement a Landscaping Master Plan for replacing aging trees, beautifying the entrance on Ridge Road and addressing flooding and drainage issues. A deteriorated asphalt driveway has been replaced with permeable pavers that allow stormwater to collect underground.

Next week, volunteers will plant two rain gardens that will help remedy the flooding that has sometimes prevented family members from visiting the resting places of their loved ones.

Over the course of two days — Friday, Sept. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7 — volunteers will fill the rain gardens at the rear of the cemetery with 700 gallon-sized plants. The cemetery drainage system is designed to divert stormwater collected under the driveway into the rain gardens.

“Logically, people would say, ‘Why don’t we just fill in the low areas?’” said Nancy Lyons Hannick, the landscape architect who completed the master plan.

Lyons Hannick explained that her team documented where there is ponding and pooling, and determined that regrading the site would have covered up some markers.

The planting event also is part of the green industry’s “Come Alive Outside” campaign to encourage outdoor activity and bring children and adults in touch with nature.

The cemetery, located at 1079 Ridge Road in Highland Park, is tucked between Mooney Park and St. Mary’s Cemetery on Ridge Road, just north of Deerfield Road.

According to historical accounts compiled by Moraine Township in 2010, early settler James Mooney first built a log church in 1846 on Green Bay Road and added a cemetery to its grounds. Those graves later needed to be moved as the area developed. In 1899, Mooney’s son John took his family’s remains to his land on Ridge Road. He also allowed other families to relocate to his private cemetery.

In 1908, John Mooney transferred a portion of the property to the Catholic Church for St. Mary’s Cemetery and reserved a piece for the private cemetery. In 1960, an elderly family member, Cecilia Mooney, deeded the cemetery to the care of Deerfield Township, now known as Moraine Township.

Problems with incomplete and inaccurate records have been highlighted in Highland Park News accounts as early as 1951, according to the township.

In January of 2010, the Highland Park News reported that resident Bonnie Ferrara had to bury her father’s remains for a second time after it was belatedly discovered that his grave already was occupied — and had been since 1967. Ferrara first buried her father’s ashes in June, 2009 in the grave next to his son.

Then-Supervisor Mari Barnes explained the cemetery’s records were mostly on typed, undated index cards and sometimes overwritten with undated notations, or contradicted by other, undated index cards.

The incident prompted the township to ask residents with deeds to come forward.

Soon after, the township hired Tim Horsley, an archeological geophysicist, to map the locations of the graves and vaults. With that report in hand, the township has been cataloguing records in a software database to reduce the chance of a mistaken burial.

Still, no one can say with 100 percent certainty that all grave locations are known.

“Between Mrs. Mooney keeping a ledger and Moraine Township keeping index cards, occasionally someone walks in with a deed we may not have known existed,” said Anne Flanigan Bassi, current supervisor of Moraine Township.

Flanigan Bassi said the landscaping improvements and rain garden project demonstrate the township’s commitment to showing respect and care to those buried at Mooney Cemetery.

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